Criptic Critic Conscience and Known for it

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Hobbit cost taxpayers $191m. " It’s unfair that I have to work 60 hour weeks to fund your fucking life style, you bludging wanker. "

Hobbit cost taxpayers $191m

The Hobbit trilogy, originally planned as
two films, suffered several delays, including funding woes from MGM,
first-choice director Guillermo del Toro quitting and producer Peter
Jackson taking over, a threatened actors' boycott, and surgery for
Jackson.

New Zealand taxpayers stumped up a total of $191 million, via tax rebates, for the making of Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy.

The
latest statements for Warner Bros Entertainment's New Zealand
subsidiary, 3 Foot 7, show the firm received a large budget screen
production grant of $38.3 million in the 12 months to March 31 this
year.

That adds to the $54.6 million it received in the 2014
year, $31.3 million in 2013, $46.9 million in 2012 and $20.2 million in
2011.

Across the five years, production costs amounted to around
$1.1 billion, meaning the Warner Bros unit has claimed about 17 per cent
of total costs under the grant.

The first two movies generated
box office takings of about US$1.92 billion, according to IMDb website,
and the third installment in the trilogy, 'The Hobbit: The Battle of
Five Armies', was released in December.

Government sweeteners have been a contentious issue with New
Zealand pressured to improve the lure of shooting big budget
blockbusters locally.

In 2013, Economic Development Minister
Steven Joyce and Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson
sweetened the pot, lifting the incentive to 20 per cent of production
costs, with an additional 5 per cent in the offing for meeting certain
criteria designed to put the local industry on a stronger footing.

That deal helped lock in 20th Century Fox to greenlight James Cameron's three Avatar movies to be produced in New Zealand.

Warner Bros' 3 Foot 7 reported a profit of $229,000 in the latest financial year, down from $33.7 million a year earlier.

The
way the production is financed means filming costs are covered by
interest free loans from New Line Cinema. 3 Foot 7 can then satisfy that
debt, plus take a margin, by charging production service fees once
filming is completed.

Its production service fee fell to $89.4 million in the year to March from $237.8 million in 2014.
The
movie trilogy, originally planned as two films, suffered several
delays, including funding woes from MGM, first-choice director Guillermo
del Toro quitting and producer Peter Jackson taking over, a threatened
actors' boycott, and surgery for Jackson.

The film became a
political football in 2010, and saw Prime Minister John Key step in to
broker a deal with Warner Bros executives amid fears the production
could be shipped somewhere cheaper as local actors and technicians
sought to standardise and improve their working conditions.

That
saw the government give the studios an extra subsidy of up to US$7.5
million per movie for spending more than $200 million, expanding what
spending qualifies for the rebate under the existing rules, and changing
employment law to classify all film workers as contractors by default.

It would also stump up US$10 million to market local tourism as part of The Hobbit's release.
Staff reporter/BusinessDesk

An out-of-work artist is setting up a taxpayer-funded
“beneficiaries’ office” in downtown Wellington to promote the virtues
of being unemployed.

Yes – taxpayer funded.

He is part of a $53,000 performance art installation series paid for by Creative New Zealand and Wellington City Council.Creative NZ
is defending its decision to provide a $40,000 grant but said last
night it was unaware of the installation’s “precise content” when the
grant was signed off.

Well why the fuck not? Someone should get sacked for this. Or at a
minimum Chris Finlayson should take $40,000 out of their budget for next
year. Art is one thing – but promoting the virtues of bludging should
not qualify.

Tao Wells, 37, advocates the opportunities and benefits of unemployment and says it is unfair that long-term beneficiaries are labelled bludgers for exploiting the welfare system.

It’s unfair that I have to work 60 hour weeks to fund your fucking life style, you bludging wanker.

Wells’ installation, The Beneficiary’s Office, urges
people to abandon jobs they don’t like rather than suffering eight
hours of “slavery”.“We need to work less, so we consume less. The average carbon
footprint of the unemployed person is about half of that of those
earning over $100,000.”

I await the Green Party insisting that this pilot be introduced
nationwide – that everyone gives up their jobs to reduce carbon
emissions.

Backed by five “staff”, Wells plans to promote his
unemployment philosophy publicly and debate it with politicians and the
gainfully employed.

Remember, we are paying for this.

He described himself as an unemployed artist with a
masters degree who had been “off and on” the unemployment benefit since
1997. Wells said he was receiving welfare and admitted his benefit was
at risk by him speaking out.Late yesterday afternoon his benefit was cut off after Work and Income learned of the project.

Not just a greedy selfish bludger, but a stupid one also.
He refuses to work, but is happy to apply for grants so he can preach
about why people should bludge like him. WINZ should refuse to put him
back on any benefit unless he can demonstrate sustained activity seeking
employment.

Wells denied his pro-unemployment stance was
hypocritical when he was being paid $2000 for the project. “We should
never be forced to take a job. If you’re forced to take a job it’s a
punishment. If a job’s a punishment then society must be a prison.”

Listen Mr Fuckwit, you are not forced to take a job. So long as you
don’t want those of us who do work to pay you a benefit, you do not need
to ever work again.

Creative NZ boss Stephen Wainwright
said the agency’s role was to encourage, promote and support the arts.
Innovative new work, such as the Letting Space series, could act as a
powerful form of social commentary and encourage debate.

Oh for fuck’s sake. They seriously have too much money. Having a
layabout wanker who is illegally claiming the dole, promote dole
bludging as a lifestyle choice is not innovative. Would Creative NZ give
money for a tax felon to set up an office and advise people not to pay
their taxes?
This just makes my blood boil. We’re borrowing $240 million a week
and this is what Creative NZ thinks is a priority. Why don’t the staff
responsible at Creative NZ follow the advice of Mr Wells and quit their
jobs to escape the slavery of work.

Share this:

Email

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

More

Related posts:

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 16th, 2010 at 1:19 pm and is filed under NZ Politics.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Inventory2 (10,143 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
The more I think about this bludger, the angrier I get.
Christopher Finlayson needs to urgently rattle some cages at Creative
New Zealand. If the staff who approved this outrage without a proper
sign-off believe that this is a reasonable use of taxpayer funds, they
should be looking for new jobs by morning tea time on Monday.

m@tt (716 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Yeah he’s obviously a tool of epic proportions but suck it up
guys, there are thousands of things more important to the country than
this and you’re just giving him more oxygen.
And don’t tell me it’s about the grant, it’s not, that money would
have gone to some other equally unproductive cause. It just is what it
is, get over it and find something worth worrying about.

jaba (2,172 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
brings a new meaning to the word creative that’s for sure .. in a
funny way, as he has picked up $40k, he has now got a job so isn’t in a
position to discuss his promotion of being unemployed

jackp (670 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Wow, all I can say is unbelievable. And Act’s popularity is
down.. I can see the migration across the tasman getting larger in
numbers.. This is just the flake on top of the tip of the iceberg.
Chris Finlayson isn’t only fucking up the beaches, he’s incredibly inept
all together.

burt (8,838 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
jaba is right. The guy is a living mockery of himself. Hey look at
me – I needed to be paid to do the job of telling you why you don’t
need a job.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
DPF,
We spotted his early and had a crack in GD. The guy’s a complete clown.
WINZ acted quickly, which is good to see. Given that they were
already alerted and had taken action priorto the article does raise
whether that was part of his publicity too.
Agree that Chris Findlayson needs to act. The grant needs to be cancelled and any monies remaining, recovered immediately.
Surely a deliberate act of non-compliance is an offence that can have
some real punitive punishment applied? Perhaps Creative NZ could be
taken to task for complicity

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
“And don’t tell me it’s about the grant, it’s not, that money would have gone to some other equally unproductive cause.”
You’re right it’s not about the grant, it’s about how indicative his
attitude is with respect to the rest of the unemployed. I would hope
actually that those thousands of unemployed people who don’t share his
same sense of entitlement are prepared to take the bus in on Monday
through Friday to debate with him and his five “colleagues” in an effort
to learn them.
I doubt they’ll pick it up but if I was unemployed that’s what I would be doing.
Another thought is that the whole event could be greatly improved
were Creative NZ to send the decision-maker along Monday through Friday
as well, in order that s/he might debate with us, the public, on whether
or not it was a good idea to spend the money on this.
That would be really good.

burt (8,838 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Low wage workers should be protesting vigorously about this. His
grant is more than a years salary for a low income worker simply to mock
them for being wage slaves.

m@tt (716 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
If you really are that worried about a few ten’s of thousands of
tax payer dollars going to this dude then you should be 10,000 times
more outraged at the government ineptitude that bought us to this waste
of hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars:
Treasury knew early about SCF’s doom

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
m@tt any wastage is bad wastage – you can’t argue that this
wastage is not a prob simply cause wastage also occurs in other areas as
well. That’s about as nuts as Wells’ main premise.

James (1,299 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
M@tt…this shit IS worth worrying about…if we don’t jump on the
small stuff when it emerges we end up with real,$240 million a week
problems to deal with.If this shit had been nipped in the bud early
(indeed it should never been allowed to happen let alone the taking of
tax moneys to do it in the first place) this country would be a far
wealthier and better place to live for honest,productive people. Instead
its a scumbags paradise.

wikiriwhis business (4,784 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
This guy is obviously not attractive to females and has no children to support.
He has no pride in himself and needs to take lesons from the Chch
wizard who is just as educated yet has never curried the wrath of the NZ
public in all his years of public life. That man is a true role model.

Inventory2 (10,143 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
At least the unions won’t defend this idiot.
Why? Well, if people opt out of work like he has, there will be fewer
people paying union fees, and less money for drones like Matt Jones
from the Unite union to be paid to organise ridiculous publicity stunts.
There could be an upside to this; an unintended consequence
PS – does Tao Wells remind anyone of that creepy geezer on the tv adverts about intersections?

backster (2,338 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
This illustrates why the whole bureaucratic mess that constitutes
‘Creative NZ’ should be dispensed with. Aspiring artists of any note
should be able to succeed through private sponsorships or on their
merits.

dog_eat_dog (965 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
This “artist” is supposedly capable of generating original ideas,
right? So why the hell does he look like a mix of Van Gough and Lenin –
two people actually achieved something (regardless of merit) through
actual work? How can this guy call himself some sort of left-wing artist
and not be ashamed of himself? In all fairness, I can think of one
thing I’d be happy to see him cut off though…

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Hey wow wait up a moment!
DPF your obviously fired up over this
# big bruv (7,045) Says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
DPF
It is fucking GREAT to see such passion from you….bloody well done!
and rightly so so we can expect you to tell Findlayson to get his act together.
See, -even the locals can tell, but no amount of wine excuses the
hypocrisy you have just inflicted on Redbaiter. Now I know he fires
people up but check this.
Listen Mr Fuckwit, ( said by whom) Listen Mr Fuckwit, you are not
forced to take a job. So long as you don’t want those of us who do work
to pay you a benefit, you do not need to ever work again. DPF
and
“Listen Mr Fuckwit,”
[30 demerits for “fuckwit”- Redbaiter]..
# Redbaiter (12,135) Says:
October 16th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Oh dear you will have him accusing you of being another progressive if you don’t watch out.
Your blog of course. But tut tut.

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
“He has no pride in himself…”
IMO wiki, this guy has inordinate pride in himself. I think he
probably sees himself as fiendishly clever, for coming up with a
hitherto unknown way to game the system and give him what he’s entitled
to while at the same time helping others by explaining his idea to them
in order they free themselves from the bonds of serfdom. He probably
thinks he deserves a medal.
The fact is of course his argument is entirely vapid and this has
clearly escaped his attention. I’m rather looking forward to the media
reports of the lively debates that are sure to ensue Monday through
Friday, this coming week.

Jimbob (641 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I don’t want to state the obvious, but there are over a million of
these people in NZ sucking on us every day. Sounds like M@tt is one of
them.

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
As Debra Hill-Cone said today.
It’s not really freedom if you can only say things which are respectful and don’t offend.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/social-issues/news/article.cfm?c_id=87&objectid=10680477

Brian Smaller (4,155 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Jimbob – the bludgers who live next door to where I board in Upper
Hutt when I am in town for work just ripped all the copper spouting and
downpipes off their state house and sold it for scrap. I rang HNZ and
they promised they would ‘send them a letter’ and scheduled an
inspection in mid Nov. There is so much of this going on it would make
your blood boil.

tristanb (1,134 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
I just assumed he was being ironic, and he was just making an
outrageous statement to garner publicity. This worked quite well.
He is fucking ugly though.

m@tt (716 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Jimbob. You could not be further form the truth in my case and do
you really think one million people are systematically ripping off the
New Zealand tax payer through benefit abuse? If so I suggest you have
some issues with reality perception, let alone basic maths.
For the record, I think this guy is a tool, as I said above, I just
think there are far more ways that New Zealand is going down the toilet
that can actually be addressed easier, and with greater effect, than
wasting breath on this idiot.
So what makes my blood boil is that so many people find it easy to get
their blood boiling at this inconsequential, easy target, stuff when
there is far greater abuse going on in other areas.

youami (45 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Why is there any public funding of the arts? Seriously, why?
This applies equally to organisations like the RNZ Ballet as well as to
individual “artists” like this tool. Stop taxing me to pay for this
frippery!

John Gibson (295 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Art is supposed to push boundaries and clearly this work has done
that. As working 60 hours a week DPF that is your choice, you cannot
hold this artist responsible for that.

PaulL (5,786 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Some here are missing the point. This is a priority. But the
priority isn’t to cancel this one instance of Creative NZ’s funding.
This is a pointer to us that the entire Creative NZ is a waste of time.
This will be the tip of the iceberg. Just shut them down, and return
the money to the taxpayer. Anything happening in the arts that has
merit will be able to find funding from sponsorship or artists choosing
to work for free. Forcing people to actually get sponsorship will
remind them that their “work” only gets done when someone with money
wants it – they exist based on patronage. Without patronage, no money.
All the great art was done that way, almost all govt funded art sucks.
Shut down Creative NZ. And then start making a list of other wasteful govt agencies to shut down.

PaulL (5,786 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
John – DPF can’t hold the artist responsible for him working 60
hours a week. He can hold him responsible for the fact that DPF is over
taxed, meaning he has to work 60 hours a week so as to have a good
lifestyle. If he was taxed less, he could earn the same in 40 hours a
week. This guys wastage is contributing to DPF’s level of taxation.

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
“the bludgers who live next door to where I board in Upper Hutt
when I am in town for work just ripped all the copper spouting and
downpipes off their state house and sold it for scrap”
You have to be fucking joking. Seriously? What do we do with people
like this? What can we do when they probably have kids who would suffer
if we made them pay it back. What can we do.

Manolo (17,384 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Could this bludger be a younger version of the odious Whoar? Related to him by chance?
“We need to work less, so we consume less. The average carbon
footprint of the unemployed person is about half of that of those
earning over $100,000.”
Why stop there? Why not choose to die?

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
“Why not choose to die?”
I imagine that very point will be made repeatedly at the Manners Mall event Manolo.
I wonder how long it will take before he and his “colleagues” begin
to realise that perhaps it wasn’t such a fiendishly clever idea, after
all?

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
It really isn’t a good look to be criticising the gent for his
looks, but then he has shown himself to be such a complete tool that he
deserves whatever he gets.
The look in the photo is cultivated.
If you look closely at the photo you can make out that he shaves the front of this natural hairline for the “Art Garfunkel” look

adze (2,132 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Why is Art only supposed to push social boundaries? Why can’t it
also be for developing one’s craft to produce pieces of great beauty,
cultural significance or artisanship, instead of just visual aids for
post-modern finger-wagging or statements of such ripping good irony as a
bag of puke on a deck chair?

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
“The look in the photo is cultivated.”
No kidding. Someone should probably tell him that real workers don’t
wear handkerchiefs that stick out of their pocket, at work and not too
many of them wear tartan ties either.
I wonder what his parents said when he told them he’d won the grant. “Oh how wonderful son, we’re very proud of you?”
“Why is Art only supposed to push social boundaries? Why can’t it
also be for developing one’s craft to produce pieces of great beauty,
cultural significance or artisanship, instead of just visual aids for
post-modern finger-wagging or statements of such ripping good irony as a
bag of puke on a deck chair?”
Because that is too worthwhile adze and runs the risk of actually
achieving something of value. Far far better to do what he’s doing, and
for us to pay for it, don’t you think?

noskire (846 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
This muppet eloqently sums up the philosophy of dole-bludgers
quite well: “- what I’m critiquing is the idea of work”. The only thing
that makes me angrier at the moment is that Paul Henry isn’t on-screen
to lay into this miserable waste of particles. I guess I’ll just have to
make do with Paul’s immortal words – “Die you c**t”.

Jimbob (641 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
M@tt this guy is talking about people who do not like working, so
should be on the dole and not in slavery. There is your million odd
slackers that watch the clock, take long smoko breaks etc. You should
spend a couple of days in the public service or local Government to see
what these people call work. From memory they refer to it as “cushy”.
There are actually not many people keeping this country afloat.

IHStewart (388 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
$53,000 sound’s like a lot for an office that is to remain open
about two weeks. It sounds like creative New Zealand haven’t got a clue
what he is upto. Who’s job is it to check that this all above board
financially or have we just spent $53,000 funding his and his won’t work
mates life style. A small point but one worth thinking about his
failure to work and pay tax effects the ability of our government to
support overseas aid projects I wonder how many children have died
because of him and his ilk. The extra million dollars we as a nation
couldn’t afford to give because he was nobily avoiding work and the
double wammy being supported by us. That is worse than stealing candy
from a baby it is stealing rice from a dying child.

Pauleastbay (5,035 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
The art scene in NZ and world wide has been hi-jacked by a
so-called artistic elite who ” decide” what is fashionable at any given
time.
It wasn’t long ago here that some “artist” won a prize of $100,000
for exhibiting a crate of empty beer bottles as a peice of art , when in
fact it was a crate of empty beer bottles.
Artists if they are any good will attract patronage, even if it is
Jenny Gibbs, there is no way the Government should be putting money into
this crap. Creative NZ wil come out with this assinine statement like
that of John Gibson above, about pushing boundaries and attempt to make
us all seem like cultural peasants but a piece of shit by a piece of
shit is still a peice of shit.
And John Gibson 2.11 you are presuming two things 1) That is is a peice of art 2) This dork is an artist.
MInd you , with the new Wellington Mayor he’s likely to be assigned the newly created post of Artist Laureate

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
“when in fact it was a crate of empty beer bottles”
I’ve got lots of art like that lying around my place. It’s worth $100k apiece you say? I see….

Redbaiter (11,880 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
“There are actually not many people keeping this country afloat.”
Quite true. Be lucky if it was half a million. Except its not completely true.
The country isn’t afloat. It sinking rapidly. Bill English and John
Key continue to borrow madly to keep government workers employed,
gambling that the debt will be paid back by future generations in more
prosperous times. A big gamble and one I really do not think English and
Key have any real right to take.
The right option was to fire government workers en masse.
Have a look at this chart.
Its from the US but our spending is similar enough for the purposes of
the comparison. It charts government spending per person from 1792 to
2010. That is where all of our problems lie. Government spending should
never have been permitted to accelerate as the chart demonstrates.

Pauleastbay (5,035 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Reid Apologies it was 10,000 he won not 100,000, you might have to empty a few more to make the hunndy
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=2350947
Diana Wichtel: Are these beer crates art? I think so
Share Email
Print
Nothing like a work of art to divide public opinion. Especially when the piece in question is nothing like a work of art.
Auckland solo dad and former plasterer David Stewart wins the $10,000
Trust Waikato Contemporary Art award with a controversial installation
of five beer crates full of home brew.
Really, you couldn’t have made it up.

LabourDoesntWork (301 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
You’re just rubes for not understanding modern art! Didn’t you
know: that modern art was invented by our self-appointed betters to
provide themselves with a mechanism for proving they’re superior to us?
It *has* to be ugly, or baffling, or just plain daft to the average
person in order for you to be “in” by appreciating it! Timeless
qualities such as beauty and finely-honed, well-executed technique are
shunned *because* they have mass appeal. Freakin rubes……

BeaB (2,361 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
He still costs us far less than all those mediocre athletes at the
Delhi Games. Just what did each medal cost us? And is that good value
for the taxpayer dollar?
SPARC is a jolly old pile of pork too.

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
John Gibson
@ 2.11
Thankyou John, for explaining to me what, ” art is supposed to do.”
i needed that.
Society needs intellectuals such as you to point these truths out to the masses.
i can’t decide which is the biggest joke,
your description of this tosser as, “this artist.”
your description of what he is doing as, “this WORK.”
or just you.

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
“He still costs us far less than all those mediocre athletes at the Delhi Games.”
But why should anyone who isn’t disabled cost us anything at all? If
they’re disabled, physically and/or mentally, fine. Help them.
If they aren’t, why should we pay them if they won’t pay us? Isn’t
that how it works? You want something, you give something back. What’s
this guy giving us, in return for us supporting him? Advice that’s
useful, or complete bollocks and not just factually wrong it’s morally
wrong as well. And he thinks we should be happy to pay him to spout this
perspective?
I don’t give a fuck if he wants to stand in Manners Mall and say what
he likes, if he does it on his own dime. I do give a fuck when he does
it on my dime. Fuck him. I’m actually going to go along there one
lunchtime this week and give him my perspective.
From the look of him in his expression and dress in the photo and in
his words in the article, he’s quite up himself though, which normally
means a somewhat fragile ego is hiding somewhere so I’ll take it easy on
the guy, but boy, what a wrong-headed 37-year-old man. He can’t even
claim youthful naivity. Either he doesn’t believe it and its to promote
this very debate we’re having in which case good or he does believe it
in which case, fuck him.

RightNow (7,141 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
So simple – he’s a failed artist. Living off benefits (although I
expect those to be cut soon, and Creative NZ to also have their budget
cut soon).

alex Masterley (1,687 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Paula Bennetts mob acted quickly to deal with the bloke. Now I
hope Chris Finlayson’s mob are as quick on the uptake or cut-off as it
were.

peterwn (3,773 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Part of the trouble is that beneficiary activists in various
countries have conned the UN into adopting all sorts of bullshit
conventions on beneficiaries’ rights, something which Robert Mugabe etc
embrace with open arms (the only beneficiaries there would be his inner
clique). This sort of requires sufficient welfare so that beneficiaries
can take a full part in society.
I cannot help thinking that if Labour was still in power and WINZ cut
off his dole, Heather Simpson would be screaming down the blower at
WINZ and they would promptly restore the dole.

big bruv (14,774 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Can I suggest that anybody who lives in Wellington takes the time
to visit this “office” and give this parasite a piece of your mind.
The Beneficiary’s Office is on at 50 Manners St, level 3, from Monday.

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
“…beneficiary activists in various countries…”
How come there are beneficiary activists in various countries but I
haven’t ever heard of any get-a-job-you-loser type activist
organisations.
Maybe we should start one up.

Pete George (24,743 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
I think Wells should be congratulated, I don’t know how he could
have done a better job of highlighting how ridiculous art funding seems
to have become. Arts should be encouraged, but overfunding controlled by
a snobby elite is the worst way to do it.
And there’s a win-win with this, Wells has also highlighted how bad
benefit abuse as a choice has become, rather than gratefully used as a
backstop

big bruv (14,774 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Pete
Let me fix that for you…
“Arts should be encouraged, but public funding for the arts should
stop immediately, if they (the artists) cannot make it in the real world
then tough luck”

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Sigh. And, in addition to the nuttiness David points out, we have the standard stupid carbon footprint argument.
To anyone who seriously thinks that is a worthy objective in life I
say: kill yourself. Now. That is by far the fastest and most effective
way to achieve that objective.
Except, of course, your objective isn’t to cut carbon. Its just that
you need an excuse to raise taxes and regulation, and bring absolutely
everything into the domain of social democracy. So add that to the
reasons, Mr Unemployment, why you’re a fucktard.

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
As someone pointed out above, I really have to ask is Creative NZ
discharging their obligations lawfully if $40,000 can be handed out
without knowing what the money is going to? If not I’d like to see the
responsible people prosecuted. I would be surprised if such little
oversight of grants was designed into law.

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
C’mon john gibson
You appear to be a lone voice, albeit, a very superior one, supporting this tosser.
Explain again to the plebs what they have not understood.
i’ll point out again the joke you are, describing a bludger who is suggesting not working
as a WORK of art.

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
There is no case for public funding of arts. Arts should be
supplied in exact proportion to the willingness of people to pay for it,
whether that be a buyer, or the artist themselves for their own
enjoyment. No more, and certainly no less. The additional art you get
from adding subsidy is not the high quality stuff – that’s what gets
made regardless – its all the shite produced by people who aren’t good
enough to stand on their own two feet. Europe has warehouses of shite
art that nobody wants or ever
sees, the product of subsidies that take creative people’s talents and
divert their activities into production that nobody wants. The result:
society is deprived of all the valuable production they would have made,
and instead we get acres of crap. For what?

Robyn (13 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:49 pmIt’s unfair that I have to work 60 hour weeks to fund your fucking life style, you bludging wanker.
Well, I only work 40 hours a week (slack, I know) and I’d guess that I
pay less income tax than you, but I’ll tell you what – I’m happy for my
hard-earned taxpayer dollars to go towards funding Mr Wells’ art
project.
Back in 2003 I was on the dole and doing the PACE “artist’s dole”
programme. As part of that, I did a year-long course for people on PACE
who are artfully inclined but unemployed. It was incredibly helpful and
the kick in the pants I needed. As a result, I’ve been gainfully
employed since then.
I’m quite happy for people like Tao Wells to be on the dole – people
who use the time they have to do unpaid work and create art. Better than
the cliche of the dole bludger sitting around eating cold pizza and
watching Oprah, yeah?
We might not agree with Mr Wells’ provocative art project – but what is and isn’t art is a separate argument.
As I said before, I’m happy for my tax dollars to fund art projects like this. They make the world a better place.

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
“There is no case for public funding of arts.”
Nah I disagree ben. Given all the other things we fund, why not also fund something like art.
Art isn’t a commercial product driven by market forces. By definition.
Yes it has a market value but ask any artist and they’ll all tell you
they don’t do it for the money. Of course that changes when one or two
of them get recognised and then they do start doing it for the money,
but no artist that I have known decided to become an artist because they
liked the money, they became an artist because they felt called to it.
Lots of “successful” artists are also heavily overrated by the market
which pays ridiculous money for what, to me, absolute crap. Those are
the artists who do it for the money, but they didn’t start off like
that, at least in my experience.
Therefore if we want to have it in our societies, some other forces
need to come into play. Otherwise most artists would merely become
worker drones in Sector 7-G.

Inventory2 (10,143 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
I’m glad you’re happy Robyn. However I’d suggest that you and John
Gibson are a party of two. Y’see, Wells is not creating art; he’s
trying to make a socio-political statement, and he’s using my taxes to
do it.
Tao Wells is in all likelihood perfectly capable of working. What pisses me off is that he and his ilk CHOOSE not to work. Wells’ excuse is that work is “slavery”.
If Tao Wells doesn’t want to work, that’s fine; let him survive by whatever means he can. But he should not be allowed to CHOOSE not to work whilst holding out his hand to receive assistance from those who DO work, and who DO pay taxes.

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Reid Art isn’t a commercial product driven by market forces. By definition.
It most certainly is subject to market forces. What definition of art
are you operating with? You are effectively saying subsidies create no
new art – which is their express goal!
Actually most art is a normal economic good like most others. It is a
private good – both rival and exclusive. Public art is different – if
city councils feel the need to commission art of public spaces good luck
to them.Yes it has a market value but ask any artist and they’ll all tell you they don’t do it for the money.
Yep, which is precisely why I said… “or the artist themselves for
their own enjoyment”. I have zero objection whatsoever to the concept of
art as a source of satisfaction and enjoyment and happiness.
Like billiards. Or hang gliding. Or blogging. Or knitting. Or cartoon drawing. Or bridge.
Anyway reid, there’s not much in your response that justifies
government intervention. In fact there is nothing. You happen to not
like what the mainstream demands. Fair enough, and I agree. You
acknowledge many artists do it for something other than the money. We
agree on that too. It follows, does it not, that non-mainstream,
non-commercial art will still be produced without any subsidy at all. So
what is the problem a subsidy is supposed to be fixing? [the answer, of
course, is the incumbent government’s re-election, but that is beside
the point] Given all the other things we fund, why not also fund something like art.
Is this really your response? Government pays for all kinds of
nonsense, so how about this too? How about funding my bridge habit?

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Robyn,
back in 2003 when you were doing the artists dole programme, in your mind, what category
of artist were you ?
Which branch of the arts were you in ?
We need more New Zealanders like you, and your mate Wells. Not.
Even john gibson appears to have been a productive member of society before retiring.
Who is employing you now you are working ?
Would it be a government department by any chance ?

starboard (3,125 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
..pfftt..welcome to fucked up New Zealand….absolute bullshit of
the highest order…promoting the virtues of being unemployed…and WE are
paying for it…fuck I cant wait to get out of this shithole.

Yeah he’s obviously a tool of epic proportions but
suck it up guys, there are thousands of things more important to the
country than this and you’re just giving him more oxygen.

Dumbfuck comment of the century, even for you matt.
Welfare dependency and parasitic lifestyles ARE THE SINGLE BIGGEST PROBLEM NZ has at the moment.
Apart from looking like he is from the Adams family, Wells completely
shits on all working families who are struggling through the recession.
Just today I have been pighunting with a shepherd on a Northland
sheep station which is massive. He works 12 hour days up there for a
relatively modest salary, and I got a taste of his lifestyle today. I
have to say that it makes me sick contrasting one guy who can opt out of
the system, do a fucking worthless masters (similar to a certain KB
poster) and sponge off us for his useless art projects. Then there are
guys like the one I have met today (and many of the rest of us) who pay
for these fucker’s lifestyles.
What a sack of shit. I would certainly tell this guy what I thought of him face to face.

As someone pointed out above, I really have to ask is
Creative NZ discharging their obligations lawfully if $40,000 can be
handed out without knowing what the money is going to? If not I’d like
to see the responsible people prosecuted.

My thoughts exactly ben! Heads should roll over this at CNZ. Will any action really be taken? Snort…

As I said before, I’m happy for my tax dollars to fund art projects like this. They make the world a better place.

How charitable of you. The rest of us think he is a low-life
parasite, but be free to give him some of your own cash at Manners Mall.

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Also Robyn,
Can’t you understand that when you say Wells is doing “unpaid WORK”
He has been paid by the taxpayer, thats me babe. And i’m not happy
i’ve been paying for this bludger. And you to sit on your arse for a year.
Also, how long do you calculate that you will need to work in order for your taxes
to equal what we paid you while you were on the dole ?
Let alone all the benefits of our society you availed yourself of during that time.
Do you have a concience ?
Are your parents proud of you ?
Did either of them work ?

nickb (3,725 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
This makes me think if the truckloads of public funds that get
pissed up against the wall by our universities every year in the form of
masters/PHD scholarships.
I remember the case a few years back where that guy from WAikato got
about 30K for a study on the lifestyles of bogans. It was titled
“boganology” or something similar. This is only one of hundreds and
thousands of such scholarships which must be likewise blown on worthless
shit each year.
I wonder if this is what Helen Clark was meaning when she spoke of a “knowledge economy”

Also, how long do you calculate that you will need to work in order for your taxes
to equal what we paid you while you were on the dole ?
Let alone all the benefits of our society you availed yourself of during that time.

Manolo (17,384 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
“As I said before, I’m happy for my tax dollars to fund art projects like this. They make the world a better place.”
Really? Without sarcasm, please explain why and how Mr. Wells parasitic activities are beneficial to New Zealand and the world.

Rex Widerstrom (5,015 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
I don’t believe the majority of receipients of benefits are bludgers who don’t want to work.
I do believe that beneficiaries need some sort of independent
advocate to ensure they’re not treated unfairly by “Paula’s lot” (and
indeed they are Paula’s lot, sharing her visceral contempt for the people they’re supposed to be helping).
Which is why I despise this parasite as much as anybody above.
$53,000 would pay for a competent advocate for a year. They
could work out of an existing social services or church welfare
organisation. And they could do some real good, helping people receive
their proper entitlement and assist them in finding work.
Yet this clown takes that money and makes a mockery of it, giving
people (including many of those above) the perfect opportunity to run
the “all beneficiaries are like him” line.
I hope he’s left to live on his “artistic talent” rather than
receiving another cent of money that could be spent on those who
deserve, and appreciate, the help they’re given.

John Gibson (295 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
This is a story that pushes the “angry button” on right wing
readers and a few lefties too: which is the point of the art work. It
has been designed to generate controversy and there attention for the
author. You have all been suckered by the artist.

We should never be forced to take a job. If you’re forced
to take a job it’s a punishment. If a job’s a punishment then society
must be a prison.

Wow, let me try that:
We should never be forced to pay taxes. If you’re forced to pay
taxes it’s theft. If taxes are theft then the government must be a
criminal.
Hey, this is easier than I thought:
We should never be forced to pay unemployed artists the unemployment
benefit. If you’re forced to pay them a benefit then it’s an unfair
transfer of wealth. If benefits are an unfair transfer of wealth then
unemployed artists must be ungrateful sponges and complete tools.

SJP (3 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
You right wingers are so funny – I can’t actually believe you’re
real. You sound like caricatures from some NBR comic strip. I think
maybe I’m a bit happier than y’all too, which makes me laugh even more. I
used to work with Tao, BTW, and he works pretty darn hard. We were
often still at work around midnight. And no, it wasn’t for a government
department. Oh, and he has a hot girlfriend.
Oh, and PS – Loved the results of the local body elections in
Wellington and Auckland. Roll on 2011 for a change back to the left. X

starboard (3,125 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
I do believe that beneficiaries need some sort of independent
advocate to ensure they’re not treated unfairly by “Paula’s lot” (and
indeed they are Paula’s lot, sharing her visceral contempt for the
people they’re supposed to be helping
fuck off they do Rex…they are damned lucky to even get a cent of my
hard earned tax dollar…its not a right to obtain a benefit… its a
fucking privilege.. which is constantly abused by bludging lazy fucks.

reid (18,798 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
“This is a story that pushes the “angry button” on right wing
readers and a few lefties too: which is the point of the art work. It
has been designed to generate controversy and there attention for the
author. You have all been suckered by the artist.”
John could you give me your money please. It’s just I’m not interested in earning it myself and you have some, so I want it.
Don’t expect me to be grateful for it either, since it’s my right as a person, to take it.
What’s your address so I can come round and pick it up.
Alternatively, just email me your bank account and password and that’ll
save me the journey.
I’m not fucking kidding either. I’m entitled to it, it’s my right, and you’re a wanker if you don’t give it to me.

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Also Robyn
Just for your information, i like many of your countrymen get sick to their guts every time
i pay another A.C.C. demand and know its going towards people like you and your mate Wells.
to get free accident insurance.
O K Robyn . Defend your position.
Why should i pay for you to sit on your arse for a year ?
Why sould i pay for this tosser Wells ?
do you think that money just comes from the government ?
Were your parents happy to tell their friends, ” Oh yeah, our daughter is on the dole, but hey’
she deserves it, she’s hoping to be an ARTIST ”
Cant you see how pathetic you are.
Looking forward to your comments.
i wont hold my breath.

k.jones (210 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
My word that was $3k well spent. A priceless display from all the regulars – you have been punked you imbeciles.
and strangely uncharacteristic from you DPF. I thought we’d told you about drinking and blogging before?

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
bereal, I admire you asking the questions, but long ago noticed
the futility. There is no answer to those questions in justice or
reason. There is no principle which can defend such arbitrary
confiscation from the productive to be gifted to the unproductive. The
answer is: because that’s what the median voter in this country expects
the taxpayer to cover. That is the full and entire story. There is no
justification beyond that needed, I’m afraid. It simply is. And any New
Zealand government, blue or red, that gives any indication of touching
that privilege for the increasingly many at the expense of the
increasingly few will find themselves voted out. Only another public
funding crisis can save New Zealand.

Stop Animal Cruelty
The people Who beat animals should be beaten back!
Petition International Criminal Court to Investigate Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
Alternative Energy
Ecological Internet
Millions Against Monsanto by OrganicConsumers.org
ARREST THE POPE (official)
Save Radio New Zealand
Parihaka – International Peace Festival 2010
Not Working (big shock)
Bush shoe thrower – Mundtadhar al-Zaidi fans
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Piss off John Key and leave our conservation reserves alone
Save Archives NZ and the National Library

Oh, look, another nutcase like Nick Wilson. What is it with these public sector leeches?

The answer is: because that’s what the median voter in this country expects the taxpayer to cover.

Just what I was thinking today ben!
It is amazing observing the ignorance of the average voter. You can
ask someone “why should my tax dollars pay for your healthcare”? and you
will get a blank stare and a “it is easier if we all just chip in” or
something similar.

MT_Tinman (3,941 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
May I take this opportunity to thank DPF for not running the photograph with this story.
Another blog (mentioned above) did and it quite ruined my breakfast.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Robyn,
I have no problem with you supporting Wells. Good on you for your
opinion. I hope it is honestly held though because I have the proposal
to test it…
We taxpayers that do not agree with Wells will stop funding his
non-work. (Actually our friends at WINZ have already commenced action to
take care of this for us.)
You (and any other supporters you can find – good luck) can donate a
portion of your salary to support him in his campaign (that means you
have to fund his living expense too.)
So if you have any integrity you can get your wallet out and start donating to Wells, because we are not prepared to.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Hurf Durf,
Thanks for that list. I take special note of:
“He is a fan of:
Petition International Criminal Court to Investigate Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
ARREST THE POPE (official)”
No doubt Luc Hansen will be along this evening to show his support for this leader in our community.

adze (2,132 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
“You have all been suckered by the artist.”
So Art = trolling?
Maybe for his next “instalment” he can question Anand Satyanand’s citizenship… I’m sure there’ll be even more bites.

labrator (1,929 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
@john gibson
I just went outside and set a couple of tires on fire. Pollution gets people talking about the environment.
Then I crashed my car into some pedestrians and drove off. Violence gets people talking about crime.
Then I ran over a cat. Feline deaths get people talking about animal cruelty.
The ends justify the means, I’m an artist.

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
john gibson
” You have all been suckered in by the artist.”
Thanks for pointing this out to all the less intellectualy endowed.
Bye the way,
Check your grammar mate, it’s not up your genius standard.
We’re all suckers except for you ?
When you describe this tosspot as an artist you demean all genuine artists
and reveal plenty about yourself.
This tosser Wells, Robyn, and yourself have got it, and we are all idiots.
Is Robyn your daughter mate.
You are both as pathetic as each other.
Thanks for explaining ,” the point of the artwork ” to us.
Where would we be without you to put us right?
Ben, i take your point but even though you are correct i gotta keep trying.
What happened to Robyn ?
J gibson will keep offering the superior/ gay side of the argument, however pathetic.
I don’t expect to hear any thing more from Robyns high horse on this matter.
But i could be wrong.
Gotta go now G’nite all.

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
IV2; I had thought to suggest that he was probably a no.1 fan of the new green Mayoress in Wgtn.
Wgtn seems to have this problem and a major collection of these types.
Rex Widerstrom (3,518) Says:
October 16th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
I don’t believe the majority of recipients of benefits are bludgers who don’t want to work.
I think you may well be right Rex but the system allows many to be
that way, its easy and so humans being what they are take advantage of
the market signals. And thats what they are. Signaling, that if you can
be bothered, then there is an easy life out there if you work the
system. Plenty who collect the easy money and top up doing cash jobs of
all sorts. Go to any market, look at those that collect seafood for sale
under the table, mow lawns for cash etc etc.
Rex;
I do believe that beneficiaries need some sort of independent advocate
to ensure they’re not treated unfairly by “Paula’s lot” (and indeed they
are Paula’s lot, sharing her visceral contempt for the people they’re
supposed to be helping).
Which is why I despise this parasite as much as anybody above.
$53,000 would pay for a competent advocate for a year. They could
work out of an existing social services or church welfare organisation.
And they could do some real good, helping people receive their proper
entitlement and assist them in finding work.
Here you fall into the classic trap which is also a subject posted omn GB.
Paaula’s menb are going to monitor all the yopung ones leaving school to
get them working. Apart from not succeeding this is just another waste
of money. The way to get people working is to allow the jobs to grow and
allow those that create meaningful jobs. i.e. private enterprise to
make meaningful employment decisions. I.e. allow employers to employ
young people at rates of pay that are viable for the employer and the
young person. $520 per week for a 16 year old trainee is not viable.
Hence no jobs.
Further all that money the Govt. spends on your behalf to provide
solutions that are uneconomic add to the current govt. expenditure and
borrowing. That is now 13 billion for this year.
Govt. needs to get the fuck out of peoples lives and let us do what we need to.

Stuart Mackey (336 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
I do not understand people like this, and I have come across a few in my life, and they baffle me.
You can only exist on the dole (if you are honest),so what benefits
and opportunities could it ever create except narrow mindedness and
intellectual myopia with a unhealthy dose of poverty?

John Gibson (295 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
reid – there are lots of things I resent paying taxes for.
Anything with “Treaty of Waitangi” in its title for a start. I have no
issue with CreativeNZ. Art is important to our culture and identity, we
don’t have the wealthy patrons that exist in other countries.

Caleb (485 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
i would suggest that 95% of people on the dole, for more than a
couple of months either cant be bothered to work or are not bothered to
apply themselves for their employer…. no wait, there just isnt any jobs.

Caleb (485 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
one off, 6 month emergency unemployment benefit.
2 year dpb, first child only.
work and income to place every sickness beneficiary in paid work.
no wff.

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Some truths to the debate.
NZ is currently enjoying some of its best ever selling conditions, high
prices for products abound. The Govt. is running a 13 billion dollar
deficit and despite all that stimulus NZ has a standstill growth rate.
Control does not foster nor create anything. Borowing on that scale causes the profit from our sales to be cleaned out.
What will the Govt have to do next?
Print money is all that is left.
Oh but wait. We could provide incentives. Lots of little no cost incentives. People act to make gains and avoid losses.
You know you are in trouble when the most cheerful thing the Finance
Minister can think of to say about the economy is that people are no
longer drawing down equity in their houses to spend up large.
Bill English highlighted the multi-billion-dollar turnaround from net
equity withdrawal during the housing boom back to the more normal net
equity injection, when briefing journalists on the release of the
Government’s accounts for the 2009/10 financial year.
The change represents about a 10 per cent reduction in households’ spending power, at a time when incomes are flatlining.
It helps explain why figures out yesterday continue to show retail spending and the housing market are going sideways.
It represents a new realism on the part of households, English says,
and a step towards “rebalancing” the economy towards less borrowing and
more saving, less consumption and more investment in productive assets,
less importing and more exporting.
But there is no joy in it for businesses or for their employees.
We won’t know for sure until December, but there is a decent chance the economy did not grow at all over the past six months.
It is troubling if that is the best we can do at a time when the
stimulus from the Government is at its peak, interest rates are as low
as they are going to go, and export prices close to all-time highs.
We are a quarter of the way into a financial year in which the
Government expects to run a cash deficit of $13 billion (up from $9
billion last year).
Likewise the average mortgage rate people are paying is as low as it is expected to go in this cycle.
And world prices for a basket of New Zealand export commodities are
just 1 per cent off their all-time high last May, boosting farm incomes.
The net effect is a joyless, jobless phase of the recovery, where
progress is measured by the fact that we have gone from being up to our
nostrils in debt to merely up to our necks.
By Brian Fallow | Email Brian

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Sorry IV2; Didn’t have a chance to fix that.
Fallow from here.
You know you are in trouble when the most cheerful thing the Finance
Minister can think of to say about the economy is that people are
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/economy/news/article.cfm?c_id=34&objectid=10680671
Here is some more thoughts that rightly point out the Labour can smell blood.
The Treasury has had to keep revising downwards its economic growth
forecasts and – worryingly for the Government – its tax revenue
projections. English warned this week that running large Budget deficits
to support New Zealanders through the “adjustment process” could not go
on forever. To get back into surplus, the Government would have to
tighten its spending. Falling tax revenue will force spending to be
tightened even further. Before you can say John Maynard Keynes, the
economy is on a downwards spiral.
However, such has been the focus on the ructions within Act, the
handling of Paul Henry’s faux pas and Carter’s kamikaze raids on his old
party that the sluggish state of the economy has been forced to take a
back seat.
But not for much longer. Labour sees the debate over economic
management starting to shift in its favour. While the international
economy remains in flux, the time when National could also lay blame for
the domestic economic downturn at Labour’s door is fast receding.
John Key’s prediction that the recovery would be “reasonably
aggressive” has backfired. National is starting to look like it does not
have the answers. English’s talk of “rebalancing” may be sound economic
theory. But the average punter has little interest in that. English is
consequently sounding out of touch. National is starting to look very
vulnerable.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=144&objectid=10680890

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Aldous Huxley once lamented: ”The failure of man to not learn very
much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the
lessons that history has to teach.”
And never was history, financial history particularly, more important.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/parity-starts-to-pale-as-dark-clouds-gather-and-bigger-battles-loom-20101015-16njx.html

SJP (3 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
My last comment is still awaiting moderation… maybe you considered it offensive? I didn’t realise I was crossing the line.
Hmmm. Just thinking about it, if anyone could think of any successful
contemporary New Zealand film-makers/actors/artists/musicians who have
never been on the dole, could they please list them? I personally don’t
know of any.

No doubt Luc Hansen will be along this evening to show his support for this leader in our community.

Naturally, I would support an application to the ICC to have Israel
indicted for war crimes. Israel is a rogue state that has a
contemptuous attitude to international law. But indicting the Pope just
seems a waste of energy, unless it led to a dismantling of the Vatican
statelet. Now that would be a worthwhile project!
And guys, we really should learn to value diversity, including those
who do not wish to work in our system. There is nothing omnipotent
about the capitalist system and one never knows what a creative can come
up with. People do get too bound up in day to day living and miss the
big picture, like, for example, the fact that one day capitalism will be
as much a relic of history as, say, fuedalism.

big bruv (14,774 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
“And guys, we really should learn to value diversity, including those who do not wish to work in our system. ”
Sure, but do not fucking well expect me to pay for this piece of shit.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Luc,
And don’t forget socialism while you’re at it (USSR and it’s eastern
bloc friends were socialists on their glorious path to communism – only
they found the road was a dead end)

Inventory2 (10,143 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Agreed Big Bruv; Tao Wells is welcome to opt out of the
conventional life, and live off his wits. But when people the likes of
Wells, Phillip Ure etc choose to opt out AND expect their lifestyle to
be funded by MY taxes, I bristle. A civilsed society has an obligation
to lokk after its vulnerable, i.e. those who CANNOT look after
themselves. Wells, Ure and many like them are perfectly capable of
working, but they have made a conscious decision not to.

Luc Hansen (4,573 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
No, no, big bruv, that’s part of our responsibility, to pay for it.
It’s just the right thing to do!
bhudson, when I say one day, I mean it in the same sense as how long
ago fuedalism ended. To think there won’t one day be a completely new
economic model is just silly. But we won’t be around to see it, don’t
you worry.

Luc Hansen (4,573 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Cloward-Piven
Hurf, how do you find out such things? I had never heard of Cloward-Piven. Gareth Morgan supports this idea.
But it’s a bit like this thought I had last night, when I heard that
the Pentagon has ordered a halt to enforcing DADT (until the appeal is
heard?).
My though was all gays and friends of gays in the military should
come out in this period of hiatus, it should be in the tens of
thousands, at a minimum, and challenge the Pentagon to dismiss them all.
That would be one army emasculated for a while!

Luc Hansen (4,573 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
big bruv, I have always believed that we should support those who
don’t want to work in the conventional sense to stay out of our way, and
not to burgle us, not to assault us, and work out their own way of
finding fulfillment.
It’s not necessarily at our expense. It could be to our benefit.
When Einstein did the maths for his Theory of Relativity, he was
unemployed, dependent on his wife and supporters.
They are not parasites. I am not trolling. But I may have my tongue in my cheek at times…

Hurf Durf (2,860 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Sup Puke.
I dunno how you managed to square that particular circle, though I
like how you’ve managed to put yourself in a position whereby you
support the Republican Party over the Obama Administration. Now that’s
what I call Twilight Zone!

That would be one army emasculated for a while!

Again, here comes the anti-Western Puke Hansen who’d rather have our
strategic rivals run rampant coming out of the gutter. Unlike Obama, you
never fail to deliver.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Luc,
Paying people not to hurt you or not to rob you is called taxation – gangs do it.
I don’t disagree we will have a different economic system some
hundreds of years in the future. I was just making sure you weren’t
going to try to push socialism as that option.
The reactions to Wells show you are in a minority when it comes to
thinking we should embrace those who don’t want to work. I’d suggest
he’d find few friends amongst the workers in the pubs of Porirua,
Papatoetoe and Patea at he moment. It’s not only the middle class that
would be disgusted by his attitude. As you are well aware Luc, lower
income workers pay tax too. And they don’t like the idea of someone
taking the piss out of them by sponging off the money that was theirs
and which they could have made good use of

Without patronage, no money. All the great art was done that way, almost all govt funded art sucks.

When people say this, they’re usually thinking of renaissance masters
being funded by the Doge of Venice or whoever to paint chapel ceilings…
but up until very recent times a sovereign or feudal lord was the
embodiment of the state. When a duke collected rents and tributes and
spent some of it on art, who’s to say if he was acting as a private
patron or state funding?

redqueen (762 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
James, the difference is, a feudal lord wasn’t thinking, ‘I want
to expand the realm of art, based on social objectives, which are
determined by my ideological beliefs’. The closest thing a feudal lord
would have is the desire to awe his subjects, in the case of grand art
projects, and that requires an actual like on the part of people (for
otherwise they’d hardly be in awe). Alternatively, he might be enjoying
himself. In either case, twoddle about ‘expanding the realm of art’ was
hardly on his mind, in either case. Nor was encouraging people to do
less work. This is just a load of rubbish that I’m being forced to pay
for and that is iniquitous.

artdick (1 comment) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Actually, redqueen, speaking strictly as an art historian,
“expand(ing) the realm of art, based on social objectives, determined
by… ideological beliefs” describes the behavior of some feudal patrons
perfectly. And, of course, it describes much, if not most, of the
patronage during the Renaissance, (including the famous Medici family.)
Unless patronage came from the church, of course – Caravaggio and
Bernini both clocked in for them. Though the line between Working for
the Church and Working for the State was pretty damn fine in those days.
As it was in Ancient Greece, or Ancient Rome. In fact, much of what we
study as “great sculpture” from some other time is little more than well
executed advertising (really, Caesar Augustus, how many busts of your
head do you REALLY need?) The point is, there is always a social goal to
the funding of art. Some nobler than others.
Though I’m sure you weren’t really intending to suggest that feudal fiefdoms were preferable to Creative New Zealand…

snowy (113 comments) says:
October 16th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
I’ve a brother in london and another in Dubai.
I’m moving to Singapore next month.
I love hunting and fishing etc in nz but shit like this just doesn’t make it worth it.
If you’re under 40 and earning under 150k in nz then you are a failure.

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 1:04 am
Luc Hansenunless it led to a dismantling of the Vatican statelet. Now that would be a worthwhile project!
Hear hear!And guys, we really should learn to value diversity, including those who do not wish to work in our system.
Hey I’m all for diversity when those choosing to be diverse, bless
them, pay their own bills like the rest of us. Nobody has the right to
complain about somebody choosing to be 6 kinds of useless PROVIDED that
person doesn’t take advantage of the rest of us in doing so. Precisely
because that’s what’s happening here, and precisely because the
government a) is aiding and abetting b) is openly approving and c)
throws those of us with productive jobs in prison when we don’t hold up
our end of the bargain and pay our taxes, then we get a bit hacked off
seeing such an easy ride being bought with our money. It’s not nice,
actually Luc.

ben (2,361 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Luc HansenNo, no, big bruv, that’s part of our responsibility, to pay for it.It’s just the right thing to do!
Er, why? Culture has existed far longer than subsidies. Culture
doesn’t need subsidy. The additional diversity subsidies buys is
necessarily the diversity nobody was willing to pay for out of their own
pocket i.e. value destroying. The cost is to reallocate resources out
of productive uses (from things people were willing to pay to use) to
things that costs more than it produces in value in the eyes of
purchasers. New Zealand is made poorer for this.

ciaron (1,820 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 8:45 amWhen Einstein did the maths for his Theory of Relativity, he was unemployed, dependent on his wife and supporters.
A shining example of the right way to do it. He convinced others to privately support him, he didn’t get a taxpayer handout.

jackp (670 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Hubbers, yes. For a country of only 4.2 million, it isn’t too hard
to monitor creeps like Wells and, there are computers that are suppose
to make administration more accurate and easier. He’s a burden on
society and to create the Benefits of unemployment isn’t creating
anything. It’s not art which if he profoundly believes so, then he isn’t
an artist only masquerading as one for the benefit to sleep in. He
should be thrown in jail for fraud and live off the taxpayer’s dollar
all he wants, just don’t bend over.

Pita (329 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:16 am
I’m not sure that this is the type of debate that either Wells or
Creative NZ had intended to encourage…but the project is richly ironic
and, if that is what the “artist” intended, he deserves every penny.

IHStewart (388 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Friend of mine in Ireland of all places just sent me this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAOIl5GGaOk&feature=related
Hope I haven’t ruined anyones morning.

black paul (124 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:34 am
hubbers said “Are we still really borrowing $240 million a week? Does anyone else think this is irresponsible?”
No we aren’t, only David and Bill English still pretend this is the case. And yes, it IS irresponsible of them.

dime (11,511 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:50 am
How bout we all put 20 bucks into a fund and pay some unemployed
guy to walk into this dudes office and beat the absolute fuck out of
him.
Call it performance art, give it a catchy name.

erentz (6 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:57 am
DPF: “It’s unfair that I have to work 60 hour weeks to fund your fucking life style, you bludging wanker.”
You’re usually quite good with numbers and analysis, what happened in
this case? Clearly your 60 hours worth of income does not all go to
funding this one guy. Maybe a second of it, if even that. (Not defending
the guy, just saying this type of overly emotional response to these
bludgers doesn’t help rational debate.)

ciaron (1,820 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Well, when a long term unemployed person turns around and says
“I’m not being hypocritical, but I think y’all should pay me to tell
everyone to go on the dole if they don’t like their jobs”, then rational
debate has long since left the building.

IHStewart (388 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 10:40 am
@black paul I think most of the commenters fully understand what
is happening here be they right centre or left, this guy has been looked
after all his life by the state and his attitude towards us as the link
you provide is clearly ” get fucked “. The Dominion Post said in the
article he has a master’s degree. When I was a student I worked in a
food distribution warehouse the guys I worked with put me through
university and they did the same for this clown. His thanks for that is
to say get fucked I am not getting a job not paying taxes I am going to
continue to live of your efforts. I sure as hell don’t get your comment.
If I have misunderstood you I apologise in advance.

Jad (4 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I am amazed at the lack of reason on this blog. There is a lot of emotion, not much actual thought or insight.
Tao Wells is offering you an opportunity to reflect. Yet much of these comments are bland reflections.
If one researches who funded the original massive modernisation of the
USA it was business. It was not the poor. Did the poor bludge off the
rich here? No it was the rich that used this modernisatiion to get
richer.
All a poor person needs is shelter and food. Once this would have come
via self sufficiency. We now live in a system that is based around
monetary acquisition. Our entire paradigm is based on money. It defines
our lives in every respect. We have no choice about this. Such a system
is slavery plain and simple. The legal system is nothing more than a
bully.
Now lets look at handouts. What happens when you are a Corporation
and you have a financial crisis? Thats right, you get bailed out.
So its OK to be a badly managed business and get tax payers to bail you out???? Like Air New Zealand???
Who caused the entire world to fall to its knees? Was it the dole bludgers?
YOU POSTERS REALLY NEED TO WAKE UP TO THE REAL SCAM.
You put your faith and emotional support to a system that is corrupt
to the core. In fact you go research who you are really working for. NOT
NEW ZEALAND I can assure you. We are all stock to the world bankers. We
all have a worth and a stock number. And our worth is traded. Look into
who invented our monetary system. Research the Rothchids for a start.
We are all being used like cattle. Are you ready he cold hard facts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F4IGwuKdUQ
You can play the game like a perfect tax payer all your life, and one day they could take it all from you.
Looks whats happening in the US, people are loosing their homes all over.
We all deserve to be Free Men/Women on the land under the eyes of God not some artificial God Economy.
We have now been indoctrinated into a corporate economic model. What a
bunch of suckers, trying to defend a corrupt system of slavery!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQzrfJbbj_o
WHAT IS THE PRICE FOR THOSE OBSESSED WITH “BIGGER AND BETTER”? A toxic environment. Polluted water and air.
Considering that New Zealand is to a large part kept functioning by a
work force of volunteers getting no pay for their work, we must admit
that payed employment is not the answer to a functioning nation.
To suggest that we have a right not to work and question why we do work is good.
Think beyond yourself.

jackp (670 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
I like what bees do. If the drones are no longer needed, they
sting them and throw them out of the nest. With humans, the drones
are guarded and they copulate and spawn more drones. We’re suppose to be intelligent?

You give him demerits. How does that work?!
So it’s alright for you to call someone a “fuckwit”, but if someone else
does you issue demerits – and worse yet, you give someone demerits for
simply quoting you back to yourself. What utter hypocrisy, DPF!
I think you need to sort your act out.
I believe you need to give an apology to Redbaiter, remove any demerits
you have given him for any use of expletives which you yourself are
guilty of, and MOST CERTAINLY remove demerits for simply quoting you
back to yourself.
Perhaps if you don’t want any of the commenters here to accuse
individuals of being a “fuckwit” (your words), then you need to set an
example and clean your own language up.
I expect MUCH better from you, David.

Mark (1,547 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Not only should this clown have his dole cut off which I beleive
happened on Friday. MSD should seek repayment of past payments to him.
In addition the idiots responsible for giving a $40k grant and not
checking what it was being used for should be fired and repayment of
that Grant Should also be sought.
It is dickheads like this that mean those who have genuine hardship
and need the dole while they find another job will be vilified as
bludgers.

centreforward (32 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
If he wants to promote the benefits of bludging through art then
fine – but not at taxpayer expense. Let him support himself. Looking
forward to budget cuts at creative nz and the city council trimming arts
funding. Talk about sending the wrong signals!

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
And now we have the huge intellect of one, ‘Jad’ mincing onto the stage.
He has cornered the market on thought and insight, in his own mind.
He is doing mankind the favour of explaining where we are all going wrong.
Our legal system is a bully.
Our entire paradigm is slavery.
The system is corrupt.
We are all really all working for the Rothcids
Jad alerts us all to the,” real scam.”
We must admit that payed employment is not the answer.
We are all a bunch of suckers, trying to defend a corrupt system of slavery.
Jad, what is the answer to all these problems ?
You have, in your treatise, alerted us all to these great truths but you forgot to give us the answers.
Maybe i could suggest a couple for you.
Grow up.
Get a job.
Stop bludging of your fellow man.
Fuck off.

black paul (124 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Kris K, That was Redbaited making a wee joke. Yes it does happen.
IHStewart, the only point I was drawing attention to in that video
was that everyone here is focused on this one guy and what he’s costing
us (couple of cents a week each if that) rather than examining in any
depth the work itself. In some cases I think there are commenters here
who genuinely don’t go any further than thinking “bludger, give me back
my two cents”. In other cases though I think some commenters here are
quite aware of the points the artist is raising but are very
uncomfortable with confronting them head on and find it easier to
pretend there is nothing in it beyond the personal, the bludging, the
individual example. DPF probably falls into this category.

Manolo (17,384 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
“we must admit that payed (sic) employment is not the answer to a functioning nation.”
Outstanding! Are you advocating we go the way of Somalia or Sudan?

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Manolo
Couldn’t get the edit to work.
i wanted to add to both Rothchids and payed.
I wonder where this genius Jad picked up his great insights, his high skool teecher
or maybe some lecturer at Waikato if he is old enough to have been there yet.
Lets hope he can give us a few more laughs soon. But i doubt it, i suspect he fired his big
guns and that was all he had. Poor mite.

I stand corrected – I thought it was DPF addressing Red, “[30
demerits for “fuckwit”- Redbaiter]”, as opposed to Red having a dig at
DPF for his use of ‘that’ word as a descriptor of someone.
But I stand by the fact that DPF dishes out demerits for commenters
calling, say, a politician a “fuckwit”, but then he himself calls Tao
Wells a “fuckwit”. It’s still a hypocritical stance IMHO.

Avalon (39 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Jad(1) Says:
October 17th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
“To suggest that we have a right not to work and question why we do work is good.”
You can suggest all you like
I personally do not work, by choice, and am perfectly happy with that
choice. In making it, myself and my husband make other choices about who
does work to bring in income (him) and who manages that income (me) so
that we can afford to make that choice.
What we do not do, is steal money from the taxpayers to fund that
choice, then steal more money to sit on our arses being a pair of
arty-farty ponces creating an even poncier “art installation” sneering
down our noses at the poor deluded fools we just stole from.
This twat has the people of New Zealand working their butts off to
fund his sitting around being a smug wanker. How is he not indulging in
his own world of slavery where he is the slave owner and we are his
slaves? And you think this is OK becuase there are evil corporations who
also stole from the taxpayer?
I’m pretty damn sure I’m NOT the deluded one here. You should have
learned at a relatively young age that two wrongs don’t make a right.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Jad – your entire posted comment was copied and pasted from an
activist brochure. Why don’t you try to add some depth to the
superficial (and supercilious) claims you make.
You could start with the claim that the poor were able to feed &
shelter themselves because they were self-sufficient but are now
beholden to the man’s cash. The poor have never been self-sufficient.
Even when they farmed and grew food and built there own shacks, they did
so on the man’s land as fuedal vassals. Land is capital, cash is
capital. They relied upon the man’s capital (=cash)
You can then move on from there to actually try and justify the rest of your twaddle.
Jad IS Zhumao

h n (13 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Since my previous two comments were held up in moderation for a day… I’m interested in commenters views on these things :
1) Why do so many of you have such strong opinions on work most have
you have never seen? Do you have that much faith in Dominion Post
journalists?
2) For those of you who do believe in some public funding of the arts
(including NZSO and NZonAir) – do you think funding should be based on
whether or not you agree with artist’s political views? If so, who
should do the deciding?
3) Organising vigilante attacks on recipients you don’t approve of –
do you do the same for TV programs and music videos you don’t like who
receive NZ-on-Air funding? Or is just people who can’t afford security
guards?
4) It’s all very well to be high and mighty about not being a
“bludger”, but how many of you could actually live on the unemployment
benefit for any considerable period of time? Would you still do the jobs
you are doing now if you were only paid the rate of the dole?
5) Is “working hard” always a good thing? Even if your job
contributes nothing to society? What about if your work is detrimental
to society?

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
h n,
In turn:
1. We don’t trust the Dompost journos’ intelligence but we do trust
the paper to record and report quotes. There were enough quotes from
Wells to tell the story.
2. Funding should be based on govt policy (as per cnz’s webste). Govt
policy is that people on the dole should be seeking work. Govt policy
on funding should be consistent with govt policy on the topic at hand.
(if the artist wants to convey a contradictory message they are free to
do so with thee own money.)
3. Don’t sook – grow up. The comments were people registering
displeasure. If you really think they meant it, you need some different
drugs or (preferably) better education
4. The jobs that many of us do now pay more than the dole because
they provide value to the employer. Introductory economics would tell
you that if the employer didn’t pay the labour would go elsewhere where
their skills and value would be rewarded. (you will find a book in the
public library – free too). This strawman is as ridiculous as “would
more people seek to g on the dole if it paid 10X the average wage?”
5. i) yes, ii) according to who – all jobs contribute else no one
would be using the product or service, iii) (again, according to who?)
by the answer is get another job
Your comment were fatuous to put it nicely. Responded (partly) in kind

bereal (3,137 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
And now ladies and gentlemen another huge intellect,’ h n’ takes the stage.
@4.24
He is interested in ‘commenters views’
the problem he has is that the statements he makes are such absolute confused tripe
and garbage they deserve only derision.
The tosser, Tao Wells has called in his two flatmates, Jad and h n for support.
Kindred spirits
Robyn @5.49 or John gibson @ 2.11 may oblige with comments.
Note that all these tossers have the same solution to their perceived ills of the world,
stop working.
Now there is a very convienient solution for useless bludgers.
isnt it wonderfull to sit on your arse your whole life and work on how you can
justify your indolence, and abuse wealth producers who are stupid enough to accomodate you.
Jeez, i hope these tossers are not capable of breeding.
Imagine having Tao Wells as your father.

h n (13 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
> 1. We don’t trust the Dompost journos’ intelligence but we do
trust the paper to record and report quotes. There were enough quotes
from Wells to tell the story.
Most of his quotes were outlining his political views. There was very little describing the artwork.
> 2. Funding should be based on govt policy (as per cnz’s webste).
Govt policy is that people on the dole should be seeking work. Govt
policy on funding should be consistent with govt policy on the topic at
hand. (if the artist wants to convey a contradictory message they are
free to do so with thee own money.)
I’m not sure which part of the website you’re referring to here. I’m
pretty sure CNZ has never run a soviet-style arts funding programme. You
could probably count the number of CNZ recipients who have been
“consistent with govt policy” on one hand.
I suspect your problem is you consider Tao to be advocating illegal
activity. But we’ve always funded theatre and TV programmes where
fictional characters have done this. Perhaps Tao Wells is a fictional
character. Have you never seen Borat?
>3. Don’t sook – grow up. The comments were people registering
displeasure. If you really think they meant it, you need some different
drugs or (preferably) better education
I’m not part of the artwork so no need to sook. I’ll wait to the end
of the exhibition to see if they were serious. Yes I am a victim of all
three stages of NZ’s state education system. What drugs to do you
reccommend?
>4. The jobs that many of us do now pay more than the dole because
they provide value to the employer. Introductory economics would tell
you that if the employer didn’t pay the labour would go elsewhere where
their skills and value would be rewarded. (you will find a book in the
public library – free too). This strawman is as ridiculous as “would
more people seek to g on the dole if it paid 10X the average wage?”
My point was that most people in paid employment are doing so for reasons other than not being a “bludger”.
I’ve read a number of interesting economics books from the public
library. It’s wonderful to live in a society where the state funds ideas
that are inconsistent with government policy.
> 5. i) yes, ii) according to who – all jobs contribute else no
one would be using the product or service, iii) (again, according to
who?) by the answer is get another job
So P dealers and hitmen are better for society than beneficeries?

Viking2 (13,008 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
4) It’s all very well to be high and mighty about not being a
“bludger”, but how many of you could actually live on the unemployment
benefit for any considerable period of time? Would you still do the jobs
you are doing now if you were only paid the rate of the dole?
Well first answer is. who in their right mind wants to? Always money to be made if you get up and look for it.
Second is; some of it yes, because its what my passion is about. Many
many people have hobbies that are driven by their passion. One could say
they do that for less the the unemployment benefit. Without passion for
your work, work is dull. Go find something you like.
5) Is “working hard” always a good thing? Even if your job
contributes nothing to society? What about if your work is detrimental
to society?
first answer; yes it is. Its good for the body and soul. whether it
satisfies your needs or someone else’s is a different question.
second answer; define how you would define detrimental. Its like
beauty, its in the eye of the beholder. So I can consider someones work
detrimental to society but you might not. Until you can give a clear
judgment on that which all agree upon, then we don’t know the answer.

big bruv (14,774 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
“Yes I am a victim of all three stages of NZ’s state education system. What drugs to do you reccommend (sic)?”
Little lead ones, administered intravenously by way of .22 rifle

Phylis Johnson (1 comment) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Excuse my “sooking,” big bruv, but can we please be a little more
cautious with the death threats? I really do think that if we’re going
to take a general position that Wells’ work is capable of being an
actual offense by virtue of his saying something offensive, then we
might consider comments like that in the same breath.
Incidentally, I can think of one possible definition of “detrimental”
– that the production of the work causes physical harm, in its being
made. Off the top of my head, that would include everything made by:
Nike
Bendon
Coca Cola
Bill Blass
Calvin Klein
Converse
Dillard’s Saks
Hasbro
Kenneth Cole Vans
and, Kohl’s
Arguably, any work done for any of these companies contributes directly to acts of physical harm upon other humans.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
h n,
> 1. … “Most of his quotes were outlining his political views. There was very little describing the artwork.”
His political views and artwork (shouldn’t that be artnotwork?) are
intertwined in this instance at least. In any case, people were
responding to his views (which, as you agree, he had publicly
expressed.)
> 2. … “I’m not sure which part of the website you’re referring to
here. I’m pretty sure CNZ has never run a soviet-style arts funding
programme. You could probably count the number of CNZ recipients who
have been “consistent with govt policy” on one hand.
I suspect your problem is you consider Tao to be advocating illegal
activity. But we’ve always funded theatre and TV programmes where
fictional characters have done this. Perhaps Tao Wells is a fictional
character. Have you never seen Borat?”
If you actually look at the website you will find it – information
about CNZ. (Good thing they don’t run a soviet system – while it might
be more to yours & Wells’ political leanings, they didn’t take too
kindly to people not participating.)
I have no “problem” – CNZ does. CNZ is reponsible for delivering
services in line with govt policy (their statement, not exact words.)
In this instance they have funded something that is contra to govt
policy. I’m sure they will have a “please explain” to deal with
tomorrow.
Fictional – I’m sure Tao Wells is beginning to wish he was.
To my knowledge Borat has sponged no money from NZ taxpayers. I have
seen him – didn’t think he was that funny, but it was mildly diverting.
At least he was working though.
>3. .. “I’m not part of the artwork so no need to sook. I’ll wait
to the end of the exhibition to see if they were serious. Yes I am a
victim of all three stages of NZ’s state education system. What drugs to
do you reccommend?”
The ones you are on seem to be having some effect. Perhaps you could
find some that might open your mind and allow clarity of thought
(basically the opposite of whatever you are taking at the moment.)
It is good to know you participated in all three stages of the state
education system. You would seem to be a living example of why National
Standards are needed so desperately. It is a shame they were not in
place when you were. (The same could probably said for National Service
too.)
>4. … “My point was that most people in paid employment are doing so for reasons other than not being a “bludger”.
I’ve read a number of interesting economics books from the public
library. It’s wonderful to live in a society where the state funds ideas
that are inconsistent with government policy.”
I’m glad you are still putting that taxpayer funded state education
to good use. Possibly you could broaden your book selection a little.
The ones without pictures generally offer a greater depth of
information.
The state funds a broad range of material so that we can sort the wheat from the chaff.
> 5. … So P dealers and hitmen are better for society than beneficeries?
As I noted above fatuous questions. So I should have expected such as your response.
You questions were about what one should accept. My response was that
if you were in a job that is detrimental to society, you should get out
of it. The point before that was a question as to who determines what
is beneficial/detrimental. The P example is self-evident (unless you
are a fan of culling the population through illegal drugs h n)
Using your fatuous example, you shouldn’t get into it in the first
place! It isn’t exactly something you just stumble into is it? “OMG, I’m
selling sherbert – its actually P. LOL”
Twat.

big bruv (14,774 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
“What kind of criminal creeps you got on this blog Farrar?”
Good question D4J…..BTW, how is your battle going with the justice
system?, still have those criminal convictions against your name do you?

John Gibson (295 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Iventory2 – “Jenny Gibbs? Julian Robertson? I rest my case!” –
yes,yes but even their ability to fund institutions and artists is
trivial in comparison to wealthy in countries like the U.S. We will
always need public funding of the arts.

big bruv (14,774 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
” We will always need public funding of the arts.”
Why?
Anything “arty” that needs public funding is obviously rubbish, I
fail to see why I should fund snobbery and out and out wankery for the
“elite”.

Inventory2 (10,143 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Of course, Helen Clark kept in good with the artists to ensure
that she would always have a good supply of paintings to sign and pass
off as her own work

John Ansell (832 comments) says:
October 17th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
I know a guy with a stellar intellect who very sincerely believed
that he should be paid by the state to stay home and write a book.
And so he went on the dole and wrote the book.
And when he finished the book, his next attempt to secure state funding was to try to get elected as a member of Parliament.
For Labour, of course.
(He lost.)

Chowders (3 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 12:01 am
Very entertaining to see all the rednecks getting hot under the
collar. Clearly the Fred Dagg adage still rings true for your average NZ
rednecker – “Ya don’t know how lucky you are.”

Jad (4 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 1:14 am
Yes you are defending the indefensible. A corrupt corporate monetary system. A ponzi scheme.
You believe that the disease symptom is something to be “cured”?
You have been lied to and now you try to defend the lie?
One suggested I get a job and “fuck off”. Fascinating.
When prejudice leads we are guaranteed of uninformed comment.
The unanimity of bias passes for objectivity.
You think by working an “honest job” you are doing your “fair share”?
You think people are getting a “free ride” getting a benefit?
How much of your tax dollars do you see? What percentage directly benefits you?
Are you concerned about this too?
Some work 60 hour weeks some work 20 hour weeks. Both can sustain a
living, but one is paying more tax. So the one working less is what?
Bludging off the other?
How long does one need to work before they may be entitled to a benefit? Their whole life?
What is the difference if one receive a benefit before or after they work in a “steady job”.
Someone works their whole life and dies before they get a pension.
Surely their son or daughter would have every right to claim that
pension for a time, are they a bludger? Or claiming an inheritance in
fact.
Who owns your money? You?
The suggest one has the right NOT TO WORK is just that. It is not necessarily suggesting that one would NEVER WORK.
If every one has the opportunity NOT TO WORK, then such is fare. Whats more it is a God send. Surely anyone can see that.
Surely we would all be better off if we chose to work because it enriched our lives as much as payed for it.
Our paradigm is so limited by our addiction to money.
So Tao Wells is (was) on the benefit, in a year or two he might be earning more money and paying more tax than all of you.
If it takes him a meager unemployment benefit to devise a plan to amass a
fortune, surely a meager benefit is a small price to pay.
NZ benefits from having the Unemployment benefit.
Someone asked me what the answer to the corruption of the financial markets is, Its very simple.
Stop buying products which are short lived or loved and not essential.
Start growing your own food and taking true responsibility for your life.
Install solar power and get off the grid.
Irrelevant corporations will go bankrupt and pollution will lessen.
BEWARE
When prejudice leads the blind follow.
The unanimity of bias that passes for objectivity is the issue here…

So Tao Wells is (was) on the benefit, in a year or two he might be earning more money and paying more tax than all of you.
If it takes him a meager unemployment benefit to devise a plan to
amass a fortune, surely a meager benefit is a small price to pay.

The words “was” and “might” are probably not well-chosen when it comes to Tao Wells.
Now, Jad, here is a simple question I’d like you to comment on.
You say it’s a meagre benefit (note the correct spelling) and a small
price to pay. So – here’s the question – why don’t you dip into your
own pockets and donate to what you see as a worthy cause? Why should
other taxpayers (through Creative NZ) be forced to fund such a waste of
space?
And as for your small-price-to-pay argument, let me introduce you to another undeserving case:

for the last four and a half years..every day.(early morning start…i have compiled a news aggregator service…whoar.co.nz
..(that yesterday..was ranked in the top 1% of global blogs..by technorati…
..and i have been approached by some americans putting together a big commercial model news/opinion site in america..
..aimed at knocking off huffington post..
..i will own part of that…and hope/expect to make a reasonable..to shit-load of money from that…
and i am about to start cashing in on the high global rankigs for whoar…
..(so i expect to be off that dpb sooner..rather than later..
..now..to my mind..through sweat equity/brainpower..i have got myself in a strong position to leave the benefit..

That comment was made on 29 July 2009. Here we are 16 months later,
and still no sign of the promised relief for New Zealand taxpayers.
Guess that copy-and-paste waste-of-space service didn’t amount to much then. Or would you still argue it’s a small price to pay, Jad?

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Jad,
You are prejudiced against business. And you also expect the blind
to follow you (I can tell that from reading the nonsense above.)
You also failed to add any depth of reasoning or logic to your claims (as you were challenged to do earlier.)
Of course people have a right not to work. No one has denied that.
But if they exercise that right, we have an equal right not to fund
them. Translated for your benefit – If you choose not to work, you can
sustain yourself. No dole. Should be right up your alley, given your
desire to the return to the utopia of self-sufficiency (which was still
sponging land off the man,)
Hypocrite.

h n (13 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 11:24 am
>To my knowledge Borat has sponged no money from NZ taxpayers. I
have seen him – didn’t think he was that funny, but it was mildly
diverting. At least he was working though.
No we have the British taxpayer to thank for this one, despite it not
being British government policy to throw Jews down wells. You worked
out he was a fictional character interacting with real people didn’t
you?
>> 5. … So P dealers and hitmen are better for society than beneficeries?
>As I noted above fatuous questions. So I should have expected such as your response.
>You questions were about what one should accept. My response was
that if you were in a job that is detrimental to society, you should get
out of it. The point before that was a question as to who determines
what is beneficial/detrimental. The P example is self-evident (unless
you are a fan of culling the population through illegal drugs h n)
>Using your fatuous example, you shouldn’t get into it in the
first place! It isn’t exactly something you just stumble into is it?
“OMG, I’m selling sherbert – its actually P. LOL”
I’m obviously not talking about myself here – I’m happily employed.
However a lot of people in our society are in the position of having few
sellable skills, and becoming a P entrepreneur is one of the few
available methods to escape the poverty trap.
To use a less extreme example, I know of many people in this time of
recession who have only been able to get telemarketing jobs in their
first few months of unemployment. Society would be better off if they
stayed unemployed. Maybe you are more charitable than me but when my
game of mahjong is interrupted by people attempting to sell me crap I
don’t think “gee what a lovely hard-working person. I’m glad they came
to work today instead of volunteering at their local recycling centre or
making some mind-blowing art”.
People on the dole who refuse to sell P or become telemarketers exhibit a
kind of quiet heroism. Society currently condemns these people as
bludgers but hopefully Tao’s PR company will change this perception.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 11:38 am
“You worked out he was a fictional character interacting with real people didn’t you?”
No, I thought he was head of the Beneficiaries Office on an overseas
assignment. You mean he was some real noddy taking the piss out of
people???… Oh, so I was right then.
“Maybe you are more charitable than me but when my game of mahjong is
interrupted by people attempting to sell me crap I don’t think “gee
what a lovely hard-working person. I’m glad they came to work today
instead of volunteering at their local recycling centre or making some
mind-blowing art”.”
I am no more charitable than you in this particular instance, but
(unfortunately for our peace and quiet) telemarketing works. And for as
long as it works businesses will employ people to do it. Those that
undertake the work get rewarded for it. While I can’t and won’t comment
on employment conditions offshore, NZ telemarketers are able to earn
incentives through their work – They are rewarded further through adding
additional value to the employer.
People on the dole (or in work for that matter) do not have to sell
P. They do not exhibit heroism. What they exhibit is lawful behaviour
(in that instance.) That is a fundamental expectation of society, not
something that is to be celebrated with gold star achievers award

drinks-after-worker (47 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
God you’re an idiot, Farrar. Are you proud that your readers are
promoting serious violence in response to something they don’t like the
look of? You’re as bad as that gormless fool Kyle Chapman.

Chowders (3 comments) says:
October 18th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
He actually picked up around $2000 for the performance, the
$53,000 figure is the amount allocated for a whole year of projects from
different artists.
Whatever the case I like this work, it’s pointed and funny. It does
astonish me that so many people are up in arms about it, he obviously
hit upon some ancestoral protestant vein.

Maggie (674 comments) says:
October 19th, 2010 at 12:26 am
There are many things in this world that make me angry.
Ignorance, hunger, war. disease and want stand high on my list.
Pity some you (Farrar included) haven’t the vision to get angry about something that really matters.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 19th, 2010 at 9:02 am
“There are many things in this world that make me angry. Ignorance…”
Maggie, after having read a number of your comments on this site I
can only deduce that you are, therefore, extremely angry at yourself.

Jad (4 comments) says:
October 19th, 2010 at 11:46 am
Nomestradamus
Funding for the arts is minuscule. Tao Wells is highlighting how ridiculous our society is.
He is doing you a favor and you dont want to support it. That’s your choice. But why get down on him.
I am not on a benefit. I pay tax and I am glad some of it is going to this artist. I fully support his work.
You are suggesting that I do not have a right to support him with my tax dollars, because you dont want to support him?
Gladly we have state funding still in NZ. It means not everything is compromised by corporate sponsorship.
I do not eat poison. But my tax dollars are being wasted saving
peoples lives and treating people who have spent their lives eating
poison and watching television. The supermarkets are I would say stocked
with around 80% poison. I dont know why any one would buy this poison
and then voluntarily eat it. That is something worth complaining about.
Not an art project. (well I do know why, its marketing and brainwashing,
it is not our tax dollars that should pay for cocacola’s (etc) mess.)
One is minuscule, the other is costing NZ billions of dollars.
I am not “anti business” Corporations are not “businesses” they are
corporations. THE CORE PURPOSE OF A CORPORATION IS GREED. That is its
function. Corporations farm their work out to the third world. A good
business would support local industry and people. It would build
community not destroy it. It would not poison the land for profit etc.
Watch the following to learn how the US Government tried to stop the corporations, but lost.
Learn how we got manipulated and used….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dA89CBBOC0
I do not need to be turned into a “happiness machine” so corporations can poison me and call it food.
How much are we spending to have the SAS in Afghanistan?
Really, you guys are all hypocrites. Red necks? True Blue Kiwi Blokes?
Why is child abuse so out of control in NZ? One of the worst countries in the world for it?
IS THAT WHAT WE ARE WORKING FORE? IT MUST BE BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT DOESN’T CARE. THE CORPORATIONS DON’T CARE.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING FOR?
TO POLLUTE THE OCEANS? THE AIR? THE LAND?
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING FOR? TO PAY TAX TO PATCH UP VICTIMS OF CORPORATE GREED, AS THEY STUFF THEMSELVES FULL OF FEEL GOOD POISON?
To get angry about Tao Wells and his art project is pathetic.
It is so classic.
What it does do is highlight the pure hypocrisy of a culture that is obsessed with “me me me”… “why should he get a free ride?”.
There is no free ride friends. For anyone. This is our lives.
The truth is something borne of love.
Our culture is enriched and informed by art. yet that which is not understood is destroyed.
If the mirror that is held up to you highlights imperfection, what can you learn?

jackp (670 comments) says:
October 19th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
I know the world is imperfect, Jad, but to say Wells’s art will
enrich and inform our culture shows how out of touch you really are.
Perhaps you should take a sedative made by one of those corporations
you were talking about.

Maggie (674 comments) says:
October 20th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Thank you, bhudson. You belong the group, a large one here, that
are unable to provide a sensible, intelligent or rational response. So
you indulge in personal attacks instead. Bit like John Key at Question
Time.

bhudson (4,756 comments) says:
October 20th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Maggie,
Thank you for a personal observation on me based on a single comment
(which I believe you wholeheartedly deserve. I have actually read most
of your comments. I’ll wager you can’t say the same of mine and yet you
clearly feel you are in a fine position to pass judgement.)
Key pointing out the failings of Labour in the House is part of the job. Unfortunately your lot make it an easy job.

A Feudal Capitalism's Court Jester461

Follow by Email

All Public Institutions need to be radical in oppostion to Consumerism.

All Art School, Universities, Government Departments, Schools, Health Care need to be radical in their opposition to consumerism, which is destroying our balance at the moment. This is completely different from the critique of mass society and cultural habits, in which most public institutions engage with , mostly in terms of marketing and PR, but there you go. (see excellent article: The Rebel Sell